Southern elephant seals around South Georgia in the South Atlantic where there are around 100,000 breeding females. These animals hold several records in the animal world. First, and this is a matter of opinion, they are one of the ugliest! But, they are also the largest marine mammal which is not a cetacean. Much heavier than the northern elephant seal, they can remain on land longer than any other seal. When they do go to sea, they are rarely seen, spending very little time on the surface. The southern elephant seal hunts for fish and squid at depths of up to 1km and have been recorded as diving much deeper. They are the deepest diving, air breathing, non cetacean and are able to sustain these dives due to increased oxygen storage and reduced oxygen consumption.
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